Click the image above to see a screener of monkey stock video footage. Clips can be viewed in their entirety and purchased at HDNatureFootage.net or viewed here in Quicktime format.

Filming Monkey Stock Video Footage

Filming monkeys is not as easy as one would think. In protected areas that can become quite tolerant of people, and when fed handouts, can even become a nuisance. So its easy to get close to monkeys. The tricky part is get good video. The animals are often obscured by vegetation, they can move quickly through the branches, you are often shooting up at a difficult angle, and often times in wet or humid conditions as many species are in rainforest habitats, and in some cases the terrain can be rugged making moving equipment and setting up a tripod difficult. But having said all that, the effort is worth it as monkeys are charming and very photogenic.

A couple of things to keep in mind. Because monkeys are found in jungles and forests where the vegetation is thick, a camcorder with autofocus can be a problem because it will often focus on the branches and leaves in the foreground, leaving the monkey in the background out of focus. With monkeys much of your filming is close range so you won't have much of a need for an extreme telephoto; I suggest sacrificing that for wide angle capability so you can quickly get shots of the animals as they climb and swing through the trees. And if you are in the rainforest remember to bring lots of tissue to dry your lens.

Monkeys are known by every kid in the world. They are also highly intelligent, social, and playful animals and well represented in books, films, games, and otehr media. The term monkey is generally reserved for a subgroup of primates that are characterized by smaller size and the ability to move quickly through trees. The are common in Central and South America as well as parts of Africa and Asia. Gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans are not considered monkeys.

Although many monkey species suffered and went through population bottlenecks, most of made comebacks and are now well protected in parks and other natural areas. This is in part because the various species of monkeys are popular with tourists and generate ecotourism revenue for countries. Places like Costa Rica in Central America have set aside large national parks in part to protect monkeys because of the visitors they attract from throughout the world. All species of monkey are popular as each has its own unique characteristic. For example, spider monkeys are famous for their climbing ability, the way they swing through the treetops, and the way they use their tails to hang from branches. Squirrel monkeys and white-faced capuchins are popular because of their charming faces with the young animals being especially charismatic. And howler monkeys are famous for their call that carries throughout the jungle early in the morning.